Kimio Maki, Senior General Manager at Division 2 of Sony's Digital Imaging Business Group, pictured at the Photo Plus Expo in New York, on October 25th 2013

[photo: Barnaby Britton]

Kimio Maki is something of a legend within Sony, and is considered the 'father' of several important products. These include the RX-series of digital cameras - the groundbreaking RX100 / II and RX1 / R - and also the new Alpha A7 and A7R, which bring full-frame imaging to the mirrorless interchangeable lens market. We caught up with him at this year's Photo Plus Expo in New York.

DPReview's questions are in yellow italics, and please note that this interview has been edited for clarity from our original audio recording.

What was the first camera that you consider your personal ‘project’?

It was a camcorder - Hi 8, that was 25 years ago. I also worked on the world’s smallest camcorder at the time, the PC7 - a passport-style camcorder which became a hit model all over the world. Then, after that I went into marketing and worked in the UK to sell the product. It was easy to sell! After that, I came back to Japan to work as a product planner, then back to engineering where I worked on the Cyber-shot WX1.

The Cyber-shot WX1 was released in 2009, and was Sony's first compact to offer a back-illuminated CMOS sensor.

The RX100 was Sony's first compact to feature a 1-inch sensor. Although relatively expensive compared to more conventional high-end compacts, the RX100 impressed us with its image quality. Click here for our review

More recently I started work on the RX-series. The smartphone market is expanding at the moment, so we have to make some differentiation between smartphones and camera systems. So we decided to develop a new imaging sensor - 1 inch. Previously, premium compacts were using 1/1.7in sensors, but they didn't give good enough image quality for me. Fortunately, we’re Sony - number one manufacturer of imaging sensors in the world! I asked the top manager of the sensor team for help, he agreed to help me, and we created the sensor for the RX100.

You were very lucky you had his support!

Yes! But the most important things are to be honest, straightforward and charming. Charm is important. I say to them ‘please - if you create the sensor I will commit to make a great product’.

It must have been a risk, how did you know it would work?

I’m not a genius, and I’m not God, but I knew the potential of the 1 inch imaging sensor. The quality of the still images it would create, in conjunction with movie, it was well-balanced. The image quality is completely different to the previous generation of high-end compact sensors. I was convinced, and I had the confidence that we could beat them.

Unfortunately, the timing was late - many premium compacts were already on the market, and my boss said ‘you’re too late - it could be great, but you’ll have to rush’. I got a lot of pressure from my boss! When I released the RX100 to the market, my commitment to my boss was ‘I will make the customers love this product - this kind of product has never existed before, please wait and see what happens’.

In the United States, the response from customers initially wasn’t great, but eventually, influential people started saying ‘it’s a great camera’.

Phones are getting ever-better cameras, cameras are incorporating more communication features - how does it end?

We are currently in a trial period. I look at data from customers who are using smartphones, especially those who are only using smartphones to take pictures, who have never used a true digital camera, and aren’t interested. They say ‘I don’t need a digital camera because I can use my smartphone’. We might say ‘the picture quality isn’t good enough’ but they just say ‘well it’s good enough for me to put on Facebook.’ They want to get the image onto their smartphone, and not a computer, because they’re not using a computer. The smartphone is their computer, they want all their data on their phones, that’s the demand - especially from people under 20.

So I took that information, and decided to create a better camera than a conventional compact. I split the audience into two sections - the older generation and the younger. The younger customers demand better pictures to get more positive feedback from their peers - more ‘likes’ on Facebook. But a conventional digital still camera might not fit their lifestyle. They want to keep on using a smartphone type interface and have their images on their phones. So we decided to create the QX-series for that audience - the younger generation.

The QX100 has the same image quality as the RX100 but the image goes straight to the phone.

When I was a child there was one camera in my house - my dad bought it and we shared it. But now, everyone takes pictures. My boss is 55 years old, and when I showed the QX10 to him he said ‘I don’t understand it at all - why do I need to use this?’ I said ‘sorry, you’re not the target user!’ Depending on the generation, the user experience is different and the motivation behind taking pictures is completely different too. Younger people aren’t comparing the QX-series to the RX100 or RX1.

The Sony QX10 and QX100 camera modules are designed to be used with smartphones, and can either be clipped on, or positioned remotely. Click the image for more coverage, both on dpreview.com and our sister site connect.dpreview.com.

On the other hand, the kind of customer I had in mind for the RX100 and RX1 products was someone who wants to be able to carry the best image quality possible in their pocket or bag. People who think that current DSLRs are too big. With the RX1, I went to the engineers and said ‘I want to put a full-frame imaging sensor into the RX100 - is that possible?’ and they laughed. They thought I was joking. But I thought we could do it, and I started to convince people, and we started to work on creating the RX1.

The concept of the RX1 is simply to create the best image quality that we can in camera you might use walking around, in everyday situations, for weekend snapshots… I didn’t want to use an APS-C format sensor or anything smaller. I want to get the best picture quality. Personally I wanted a great camera for the weekends, but existing full-frame cameras were too big for me. So that was the challenge when creating the RX1.

The Sony Cyber-shot RX1 (and the RX1R, released later, which is identical except for the omission of an anti-aliasing filter on the camera's sensor) features a 24MP full-frame CMOS sensor and a 35mm F2 Carl Zeiss lens.

The RX10 is different - that's the camera I wanted for events, like sport, when my children are playing soccer and basketball. The lenses on the RX100 and RX1 aren’t long enough for that. Also for movies - as you know we use every pixel on the sensor for video recording, therefore the movie quality is better than some professional video systems.

When you create products like the Cyber-shot RX10, do you consider price point?

I only think about the product. Of course, inexpensive is better, but the most important thing is quality of the pictures and the movie files. That is the priority, not price.

How do you send the message that the RX10 is worth the extra cost over something like Panasonic’s FZ200?

Well, I always say our sensor is completely different, also the lens is great. The combination of a 1-inch back-illuminated sensor with a great 24-200mm lens… if the lens was 24-300mm or 24-400mm it would be BIG. That's not a good concept in my opinion.

Despite its large sensor and fast lens, physically the RX10 compares well to more conventional (small-sensor) superzoom cameras. But at $1300, it does cost considerably more.

Some customers will certainly look at the RX10 simply as another bridge camera and think that it’s quite expensive. But that’s a misunderstanding that we have to solve. The question is how will we get customers to recognize the benefits of this product - for that we rely on our friends in the media!

When you’re designing your cameras, what’s your image of the customer that you’re making a product for?

I imagine a customer with a good knowledge of camera systems, experience in using digital SLRs, an expert who knows SLRs and lenses, and maybe thinks that that equipment is a little big to carry around. Someone like that might be attracted to an RX-series product.

How do your two interchangeable lens camera systems - E / FE-mount and A-mount mesh together? In the future, how will the relationship between those two systems evolve?

Basically, the role of the two mounts is different. We can make E mount cameras and lenses smaller than A-mount. But for A mount we can realize superior image quality with better new technologies. Both systems exist under ‘Alpha’ and both are created with the same philosophy - to create something new, which never existed before. That is the main thing in my mind. That is Sony. That is the mission. To make people say ‘wow’ and to surprise them - to drive the customers’s imagination. That is my dream and that is our mission at Sony. The Sony spirit goes back to our founders, Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka.

Do you still have a problem with brand recognition? Is there still some snobbery on the part of customers that Sony is an electronics company and not a camera company?

That’s a big challenge for me. I was speaking to a Japanese newspaper and I told them ‘I hate being called an electronics company that makes cameras’. People think Sony and they think televisions and Walkmans, that’s the image. No-one says ‘camera manufacturer’. But I will let them know - we ARE a camera manufacturer. One of the best. With the RX-series things started to change, and we’re getting there gradually. Now, everyone in the industry is starting to say ‘Sony is creating great cameras’. We’re going to keep on doing it, and keep on creating products that no-one has created before.

Why do you think that Sony is the only company making cameras like the RX-series and the A7 / A7R?

Our company philosophy of creating new products, of course, plus a fighting spirit. We are a challenger. We are not kings in this industry. In professional broadcasting we’re one of the biggest companies, but in the still imaging industry we’re still challengers, so we have the freedom to experiment.

The Sony A7 and A7R are the world's first consumer-oriented full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. Both cameras are compatible with existing E-mount lenses for NEX in APS-C capture mode, but Sony has also announced a range of new FE-mount lenses for full-frame imaging.

In terms of interchangeable lens cameras, the biggest companies of course are Canon and Nikon, they have the legacy support, so in order to attract customers we have to give them a good reason to come to Sony. So we’re trying to make cameras which are desirable in addition to maybe a Canon or Nikon system. And in order for us to do that we have to create unique cameras that Canon and Nikon don’t offer.

Sony's background is in consumer electronics. We research customer desires, and we capture their imaginations. Of course, professional photographers are using Canon and Nikon, and it’s not easy to get them to use our Alpha SLT cameras. But Cyber-shot is not an interchangeable lens system, it’s fixed, so it’s easier to get them to use. That’s the trigger. We’ve broken the ice. Then with cameras liken the RX100 and RX1 we break it down further. This is the first stage, sending the message.

Do you share research or expertise with the smartphone teams within Sony?

Yes of course, all the time. The camera system in our Experia phones is designed by our engineers. We exchange engineering knowledge and technology between the camera division and phone teams. We work together.

Some recent Sony cameras have featured ‘apps’ that can be downloaded to the camera - how do you see this evolving?

Some recent Sony cameras, like the NEX-6, have Wi-Fi built in, and are compatible with Sonys PlayMemories 'App store'. This gives you the ability to add features to the camera.

We recently opened up the API so anyone can create applications for Sony QX and Alpha system camera systems now, distributed through Sony. It’s an ongoing process.

What are Sony’s biggest opportunities in the next five years?

I want to keep creating innovations. I have lots of ideas in my head - every six months I want to do something new, keep on running, and keep on creating new things that didn’t exist before. Products based on customer demand.

It seems like your philosophy with the RX-series cameras is to sell maybe fewer products of a higher quality, rather than sacrifice quality for more sales. That must be a real challenge.

Yes. We have two segments, one is the mirror less segment which is smaller, and one is conventional DSLRs. Within the DSLR market you have the entry-level, smaller cheaper cameras like the Nikon D3200, and at the top there are high-end models like the Nikon D4 and Canon EOS 1D X. Until now, there was no ‘top end’ for mirrorless cameras - now that’s the A7R.

We’re creating a market, which is vital in this industry, otherwise the market will be squeezed. If a customer doesn’t see anything new, they won’t be motivated to buy additional cameras. For Sony to improve our brand image within the camera industry we need to use technology. We need to change the world.

Do you think that full-frame sensors will ever be meaningfully cheaper?

Sony is the number one manufacturer of imaging sensors, and if we can sell a lot of them, the price will come down!

Is there anything that worries you about Sony’s future in the camera industry?

Worry? I don’t have any worries at all right now! Seriously though, I do think about countermeasures from other manufacturers - so for example I think about whether Canon will create a product to compete with us. I’m interested in whether they will do this, because enhancing the market together is important. But that’s not a worry. What worries me is the market - what will happen if customers start to lose interest. If they just say ‘I don’t want a camera, a smartphone is good enough for me’. I don’t think it will happen, but it’s a concern.

I think people right now using smartphones will become eager for better picture quality, and as they get older, get married and have babies I expect they will probably want to buy a better camera.

I also believe that by continuing to create new things, that we can keep the industry vital. But as you know, everybody has their favorite camera. My dream is to satisfy everybody because everybody takes pictures. I wish I could tell you my ideas for the future but unfortunately I can’t right now!

where can I lodge my complaints about playmemories wanting to take over my machine? new version today, and it has to waste my time updating the @#$! database.. I only want this because it does a better AVCHD import than lightroom.. it aggregates the subfiles..

Mr Maki (Mr I Make, in case you have not noticed) obviously can have designed and made as many different ways of taking pictures as the Kama Sutra has of making love.... However, my only Sony is an R1, and I do not want a crummy little 1" sensor. I want QUALITY. I want to duplicate what my eyes see, not a graphic of it.

Mr Maki, the R1 has the best overall zoom lens. It is a wonderful lens, and you could put it on a 24MP sensor, and it would be great-24-120mm is OK you know That gives better image quality and magnification than does a 24-200mm on a tiny 1" sensor, really.

Just redo the R1, but give it a decent EVF this time and a buffer for at least 10x24MP RAW files please.

The lens is what counts, and the R1s autofocus and handling is divine for street photography and obviously all travel and family snaps... I am sure that you can deal with a decent ISO of 1600 without ANY inbuilt noise reduction or smearing of the REASON WE TAKE PICTURES....

It will come in time. Sony are pushing boundaries that others seemed comfortable sitting behind. It takes some experimentation to get the right mix of advances and compromises at any given time. Product innovation goes hand in hand with manufacturing innovation. If Sony could make a camera half the size of the RX100 with a medium format sensor and a compact 18-300mm lens that's as sharp as a samurai's sword, they would begin working on it this afternoon.

I like Sony kit, I've had NEX, I've had an Alpha 77. All have worked ok, and been reliable. I have a RX100-2, a 30 and a battered old 9, and are fans of all 3.

What I find confusing, and what irritates me is that Sony appears to be going in all directions at the same time, there seems to have been a dozen cameras in the last month alone. Which leaves any buyer with the question, what is going to go, what will stay, is the Alpha 77 range dead, will the Alpha 99 be replaced soon with a 36 mp version, there just isn't any direction.

To this end, I've just px'd the 65 and the 77, and now have a Canon 5Dm3, which I hope will give some stability for a number of years.

And the name "Sony" on expensive DSLR's sucks, no matter what. Should have stuck with Minolta.

You ask a lot of questions here. Ask yourself, how can Sony answer these so you believe the answer? The unclear picture is mostly the result of wild rumours on rumorsites.

Sony have however said that there will be an FF above the a99 and a a77 replacement next year. Naysayers would call the Canon stability that they are dead at the moment. Nothing wrong with the 5D though.

About Sony on pro stuff. That's something that happens in your head. The camera wouldn't be either better or worse even if it said Holga.

Sony have always produced truly innovative cameras over the years. There is a drawback to this though, you only need to look at the lens offerings for the DSLR range, some of them are still 're-branded' Minoltas from 1993, the new Zeiss offerings are good but way out of most people's reach. Sigma has already started to fill the gap admirably, with the 35MM 1.4 Art, miles better than the Sony equivalent at half the price! Working on new lenses is probably quite dull compared to developing new 'toys', but needs to be done if Sony really intends to lure professionals over to the brand.

Why didn't dpreview ask him why there hasn't been any firmware updates for several issues/annoyances that RX1(R)/RX100(M2) users have been asking? What an opportunity wasted? But then maybe it was asked but he just didn't respond?

@splendic: Minimum shutter time for Auto ISO, Auto ISO in Manual Mode, decoupling AEB from the drive mode so that you can use the timer with AEB and reduce shake/movement, allow the in-camera HDR to be used with the timer, etc... I imagine there are others, those are the big ones.

Yes, this! I've been wanting a firmware update for my RX1 to fix niggling issues and add features ala Fuji. This is also a wasted opportunity to ask about lens lineups going forward. I personally want a lineup similar to the new XF Fujinons - that is the only thing that has held me back from pre-ordering the new Sony A7/R bodies.

Wow, I surely did NOT hear anything about a top-of-the-line 1Dx or D4 killer in the above discussion. The only mention made in reference to D4/1Dx was the A7r. Really? Do you really think that FF crammed into an E-mount body with no IBIS or IS is going to compete with a D4 or 1Dx? Do you think that those E-mount f4 lenses are going to trash everyones' f1.2, f1.4, or even f2.8 glass? I'm hear to tell you: ... NOT!

you really need a lesson in reading comprehension. He did not say he was competing against the D4/1Dx, he merely said there was no equivalent 'top-end' in the mirrorless world so he (Sony) created it with the A7/R.

want to create something new? OK, so please design some E-mount Prime COLLAPSIBLE (very compact) lenses. A prime tele or mid-tele is full of... nothing... just a few optical elements (much less than a zoom lens) in a big package! make it collapsible so everyone could easily carry high quality lens in a pocket.

Dear Kimio Maki,Let me suggest that you try and open a feedback channel for the Sony camera users and see what they wish in your camera models! Then contact the more serious ones among those with other than an autobot reply, and communicate. I am sure this move would be advantageous for Sony, since majority of manufacturers mainly ignore their users, and seemingly do not look for ideas and concepts further than their marketing department.Best Regards!One long-time Sony user

COuld not have said better myself OldArrow. Just look at Nikon and complete refusal to make a D400. Message they send to their customers is: F*** you and buy D4.First company that actually does what you suggested could make a lot of money.

The RX10 is the perfect reply to most of the questions in the Beginners forum for what new camera should I buy for taking pictures of the new baby, kids, sports (kid level), videos, etc. Currently the price is a bit high for the new camera buyer who wants to be in the $700 to $1000 window, by next Christmas the price should be better. The real loser I see in the new Sony cameras is the QX line, but then I am an old fogey who does not understand. The FF e-mount is going to need some time to develop a larger lens family but it looks very promising. I bought A-mount instead of E-mount because at the time it had only 3 lenses, now that has gotten much better, and with 15 more lenses by the end of 2015 things are improving.

Seriously, cgarrar, given your long history (RX100 --too little too late-, failure to predict GRXwill be a failure in market, glowing K01 intro that failed in market, etc etc etc etc), you shouldn't be recommending what companies should be doing to make money.

Yeah Plastek, what if customers suddenly would want to carry more dead weight and deal with mirror flap, AF misalignments, lack of proper information in the VF etc etc. Or maybe DSLR dinosaurs will just die off, just like rangefinder dinosaurs mostly died off in the 60s-70s, manual focus dinosaurs mostly died off in the 80s-90s and film dinosaurs mostly died off in the 2000s?

Exactly. The quote epitomizes why Sony will never have a decent camera system - because they'll never develop one fully and continue to expand it, they'll always be on to the "next thing," leaving the customers of their existing products hanging.

Agreed. I've been an SLR user for over 20 years but never had more than 3 lenses for any camera. It's just how I prefer it. When it came time to replace my Canon 30D I looked to Sony since I saw a lot of innovation. I opted to go for the SLT line over the NEX since I wasn't sure if the NEX line would go anywhere and I could easily get the handful of lenses I wanted in the Alpha line. Guess that was a good move since I'm not sure if the NEX line ever got the lenses that I like to use the most.

I've been happy with the a65 so I opted to get an RX1 instead of a corvette to sate my midlife crisis. I love it and use it more than the a65 now due to portability, but I'm surprised that there hasn't been a single firmware update. The camera functions well enough as it is, but I had expected a few updates since that seemed like the norm for the SLT and NEX lines (not referring to the frequent lens compatibility updates).

"what will happen if customers start to lose interest. If they just say ‘I don’t want a camera, a smartphone is good enough for me’. I don’t think it will happen, but it’s a concern."well I sort of agree here, that no Sony smartphone was good enough as a camera so far, even though you would expect them to create one heck of a cameraphone with all of their resources and expertise (I am sure that any similarity with the MiniDisc/Walkman/iPod istory s purely coincidental).

Like Apple they strive to release unique and innovative products, but unlike Apple their balance is (at least for me) to much on the innovation side than on the refinement side.

The NEX System is great, but apart from taking it FF it would still needs a few more lenses (tele prime, good wide angle prime, fast zoom), faster AF (sensor problem?), better usability (menu structure, exposure compensation…), weather sealing and so on.

Keeping in mind that Sony is able to release a new camera body every 6 month but no major firmware update, they do not have the right balance.

Good interview, worth to read. Almost too honest. I find it hilarious to read that his boss don't understand the QX series. Not only it's cumbersome to use, but the Sony application itself is not reliable (as I've heard from reviews).

"as they get older, get married and have babies I expect they will probably want to buy a better camera."

If you want to cater to the new parents crowd, then that better camera would not be a mirrorless. Babies moves very fast you need all the help you can get to get those candid shots. SLR with good focus tracking is very helpful here.New parents thinks their babies will sit still for them to adjust the camera. The optimal window to get the right shot with the right expression is about half a second.Told my in law to get a camera with fast focus. They looked at me like I was nuts. They though babies are so small they do not ever move. A month latter, they told me how frustrated they were with slow focus. Went out and got a SLR.

I still believe Sony would benefit from retiring the SONY logo on their cameras to a discrete position at the bottom and creating a new brand without the consumer electronics associations "Sony" has. Panasonic has done it very successfully.

It is negative, whether Sony can see it or not, to have this crude SONY logo plastered on top of a A7 camera! I thought they are a for-profit company; why Mr. Maki insists on risking market share on account of brand arrogance, I don't quite follow...

If you stop half-reading comments your comments will make a lot more sense and will be worthy or being responded to. Yes, certain brands are not camera-related manufacturing brands. Indeed, Sony, after -and because of the- acquisition of Konica-Minolta has engaged in the design and manufacturing of camera gear, beyond sensors. However, Sony is not a dedicated, or primarily, camera company. Many people use cameras in a non-for-profit manner and prefer to carry and use an instrument from a maker that has a certain history in the field. It is not irrelevant, it is important. I do not want to make Sony richer by promoting its vulgar brand name; if I ever end up buying one I'll surely black-out the logo with a marker. I'd prefer people to see a different brand on my camera or a different maker altogether on it. Why the hell not??

A fixed lens camera is a self contained unit with no room for expansion. It is not a "system." They have 2 systems with interchangeable lenses.They have not abandoned anything. There are 42 Sony branded for the A-mount, and 19 for the E-mount, with 15 more announced.Their latest cameras just made it possible to use lenses from every major manufacturer. How many Lenses do you own Nick? How many do you use?

Every six months they change their mount, do you relize how stupid you sound? at least they are doing something, if it was not for them you would still pay more for less from your nice friends at Nikon and Canon, I say let them push the market it only benefit us all.What is Nikon doing? going back to the past with a shiny turd that makes Nikon sheep forget how bad the D600 was, yes that is how you do it, smoke and mirrors...LOLThis Sony has no lenses is getting old, you can put any lens on E mount even those so called excellent Nikon and Canon junk

If they changed the mount every six months, I'd think my crossed xx logo'd Maxxum lens from pre-Exxon trademark suit that's almost guarenteed to be 25+ years old wouldn't work as good as new on my A99.

Sony's moving forward while others are still stuck in the last century with their flapping mirrors. Its a digital future ..The Mirror is gone and the mechanical shutter will go next. Just a matter of time before the processing power is available, affordable.This tech is already used on small compacts.(electronic shutter). And why are these posters jealous that Zeiss has aligned themselves with Sony. Cause Zeiss can see the future too.

The future is $$$ lenses that aren't so fast and still big and heavy for a mirrorless FF body you say?? I read complaints of all the Chromatic Aberration in the 55mm 1.8 for the A7 as well....

I would very much prefer to keep those mirrors so long as the AF in DSLRs is faster and works in lower light, and so long as telephotos are long and heavy the extra grip helps a lot too. And when will battery life even come close?

I will welcome improvements once they are made, for now, the future is still the future. People can enjoy the new series of cameras as they want, but it's not quite there as a replacement for what's already in use

I agree that are worse and will not outperform optical in the near future - especially if you look at the quality of a rangefinders for example, but a digital viewfinder on my NEX is so bad, it gets my face out of the camera. Sure I focus and frame but I hold the camera to my face for only a second before moving my face away and looking at the scene with my eyes. It has helped my photography immensely by getting me to look at what I am photographing, helped develop my focusing skills - I now use a follow focus that you would usually find on a video camera because I can be so much more precise and accurate with it, I use tripods and monopods way more more to aid with framing.

I would still prefer a good rangefinder and non electronic HUD inside on my NEX though.

Its a polarizing argument. To me its simple, both ovf and evf have distinct advantages, period. There should never be an argument of which is better than the other because of this, and the end users decides which is best for the desired result. :)

What I like about EVF is the addition of information. I use an in-camera level a lot. I also like to have a live histogram available.

OVFs have traditionally lacked in this area. I wondered for years why a camera manufacturer doesn't put an LCD overlay on an OVF. Fuji eventually did just that, but I don't want a compact camera style OVF w/ parallax and no depth of field preview. I prefer TTL. Maybe one of these days someone will do it, but by then there will be even more advantages to constantly reading the data out of the sensor which is something that just isn't possible with a TTL OVF.

Run a Worldwide photo contest for pictures using ANY camera and award at least 100 of your latest RX or RY or RZ thingamajeegs to random lucky winners around the World.

You get more interest, goodwill and awareness.

That is quite cheaper than to pay companies to run your articles on their blogs and their websites, where creatures from all over the World get to throw darts at you from the comfort of their food infested keyboards.

Sony has a well deserved reputation for being one of the world's most innovative companies -- I'm glad it has extended that innovation to the photography field. I'm always amazed that despite Sony's years of experience with film and video, Sony is treated by some of us like a novice when it comes to still photography. Although I still shoot with Nikon's, the Sony's are a pure joy to use -- their innovations simply allow things that other cameras don't. For example, I recently used an old Sony F707 and shot landscapes and macros in pure darkness with the camera's built in infrared scope. I then used its built in laser holograph beam to focus on subjects that none of my current cameras could nail (remarkably, all this from a 2001 camera). Current Sony cameras like the RX1 and A7 are natural progressions from a company that chooses to make cutting edge cameras instead of recycling the same models. Sony has pushed photography forward in ways beneficial to all of us as photographers.

Revenue Decrease US$ 72.349 billion (2013)[2]Operating income Increase US$ 2.448 billion (2013)[2]Net income Increase US$ 458 million (2013)[2]Total assets Decrease US$ 151.131 billion (2013)[2]Total equity Decrease US$ 28.523 billion (2013)[2]Employees 146,300 (2013)[3]Subsidiaries List of subsidiariesWebsite Sony.netSony has no technology in SLR and bought and destroy MinoltaSony has no technology in telecommunications ,bought and destroy ErriksonUnsuccessful in the following Minidisc,Sony palm pda,UMD disc,Betamax,memory sticks all obsoleteSony markets shares are down ,lost to samsung in TVSony is a small company campared to panasonicEver heard of Sony airconditioners/fridges/vacuum cleaners/microwaves/washing machines/fans and lots of consumer electronics....???Panasonic has it ALL!Like a Meredes and BMWWhile Hitler was riding a merc his bodyguards on BMW motocycles!Ever heard of BMW trucks/buses/lorries/fire engines/aircraft maitenence vans?? Mercedes has it ALL

"bought and destroy Minolta" - Minolta was destroyed before Konica bought it. Than Konica killed the brand even more by screwing digital era. Sony only brought new light into the Minolta A-mount. Every A-mount shooter will tell you that Sony brought more good than bad into the A-mount.

Pity though that managers like said mr. Kimio Maki prefer to toy with mirrorless instead of developing a system further on.

A question, why go to the trouble of making a negative to print from when you can print straight from the digital image? Printing straight from a B&W negative exposed in a view camera makes sense, but why go to the trouble to have a digital camera, then print a B&W negative from the digital when you could just print a positive from the digital information.

Want to make something new that will knock the socks off everyone and their grandmama?

Make a true pocketable FF camera with a fixed lens (28mm, 35mm or 50mm)...similar to the size and ergonomics of the Ricoh GR. Since Ricoh isn't making a true pocketable FF camera just yet (only an APSC currently; which is still good), why don't you beat them to the punch? ;)

Yes, your RX1 is a super amazing camera with almost unbeatable image and build quality. But, it's a bit expensive and a bit large still (because of that fast f2.0 lens). Why not make a more affordable and much smaller FF pocket camera? Maybe just a 2.8 lens? Maybe retractable lens?

Make this camera and you will rock the photography world and bring it to its' knees...again ;)

If you want Sony to make a "True Pocketable" FF compact camera with a fixed lens (smaller f2.8 lens to make it "truly pocketable;" maybe similar in size to the GR or ordinary p&s size) , please send an email/message to them with the provided link below. A representative got back to me really quickly after I sent them a message; and said they will definitely note it, as they take customer requests very seriously.

Trouble is pros don't' make a camera system profitable and most people want affordable lenses that will AF not expensive pro level lenses or kludge solutions like MF only adapters to use lenses for other mounts. The A7/A7R needs affordable, native lenses to even have a chance at gaining any kind of substantial market share.

"yep just a bunch of mindless magoons buying things because it has Nikon or Canon stamped on it"

No, dumbo, bunch of people buying Nikon as they are already invested in the system with a bunch of lenses. They will also recommend the cameras to friends and family. That's how the world works.

Funny you ignored what I said next that Sony will sell more than Pentax K-3;)

You calling RX100 "Too little too late" on the launch day shows that you are clueless who doesn't understand camera market. That was an ironic title for a camera that became iconic. Goes to show you are an idiot.

Although Sony makes cameras with exceptional IQ, their cameras are the most ergonomically unfriendly devices ever conceived by man. At least we now know who that man is.

That is why I got rid of my otherwise excellent NEX series camera in favor of another excellent camera that was obviously designed by photographers who understand cameras and how they should be designed. It's ironic that my new camera has the same excellent Sony sensor as my previous NEX series camera. Maybe Sony should stick to selling sensors and components to camera makers who understand camera design.

Rooru S - My reply was tongue in cheek. I'm well aware of Sonys standing in the market, as are they. There's a point behind that comment. They want to be at a place but arent' moving. There's a reason for that, or many of them.

….well just today i thought - do i really need a new tablet/pad every year to check my live pix from it’s inferior quality input - nope - would this years new slightly faster lighter laptop really be a necessity for me right now - nope - and, what about a nice phone-cam that doesn’t yet output raw - ‘fraud not - so there just today i’ve saved myself $3100….bargain

….but i do like to read all about ADD here….and it’s always nice to see the leaders from Sony and other companies open up to us….so we can see that their companies really are people